206
206
Dec 6, 2012
12/12
by
CNNW
tv
eye 206
favorite 0
quote 0
. >> reporter: wolf, the challenge is for the obama administration to figure out exactly what bashar al assad is up to with his deadly arsenal. the horror remains unspeakable. 25 years ago saddam hussein unleashed one of the worst poison gas attacks in history. thousands were killed. now, in syria, u.s. concerns are growing by the hour that bashar al assad may be planning the same thing against his citizens. >> the intelligence that we have raises serious concerns that this is being considered. >> reporter: u.s. intelligence shows syria has mixed chemical compounds needed to make a deadly agent that can quickly kill thousands. >> the united states and our allies are facing the prospect of an imminent use of weapons of mass destruction in syria. and this may be the last warning we get. >> reporter: the u.s. is not precisely saying what the syrians are doing, but there are two ways of mixing elements to make a saren filled weapon. >> you have to handle it very, very carefully. a drop will kill you. often it's done at the last minute. there's another style. >> reporter: chemicals placed
. >> reporter: wolf, the challenge is for the obama administration to figure out exactly what bashar al assad is up to with his deadly arsenal. the horror remains unspeakable. 25 years ago saddam hussein unleashed one of the worst poison gas attacks in history. thousands were killed. now, in syria, u.s. concerns are growing by the hour that bashar al assad may be planning the same thing against his citizens. >> the intelligence that we have raises serious concerns that this is being...
413
413
Dec 4, 2012
12/12
by
CNNW
tv
eye 413
favorite 0
quote 0
., the obama administration, nato now obviously very concerned about the regime of president assad potentially using chemical weapons, poison gas against its own people. here's the question, what is the difference killing civilians in syria with bombs from jet fighters or attack helicopters as opposed to using say poison gas or chemical warfare? >> that's a good question. in one sense in moral terms, there is no difference and almost 40,000 people have died in syria already. but i think the use of chemical weapons and poison gas, i think the fatalities would be very much greater. and it does cross a line. these aren't judgments that you can make in any scientific way. but i think what your administration, the international community is signaling to president assad, if you cross that line, there will be a strong reaction. >> those are tough words coming from president obama, from secretary of state hillary clinton, from the nato secretary-general today in brussels. but is that enough to president bahar al assad from using chemical weapons or is there something else the international community s
., the obama administration, nato now obviously very concerned about the regime of president assad potentially using chemical weapons, poison gas against its own people. here's the question, what is the difference killing civilians in syria with bombs from jet fighters or attack helicopters as opposed to using say poison gas or chemical warfare? >> that's a good question. in one sense in moral terms, there is no difference and almost 40,000 people have died in syria already. but i think...
344
344
Dec 6, 2012
12/12
by
CNNW
tv
eye 344
favorite 0
quote 0
joining me now is van jones, cnn contributor and former obama administration official. good morning. >> god morning to you. >> so, van, i guess my first question that's eatsy for geithner to say, we're perfectly willing to go off the fiscal cliff. that means a tax hike on middle class americans and maybe some of them are thinking this morning i'm not really so happy geithner said that. >> it might have been inartful for him to say it the way he said it. i think he is making a very important point, which is that the american people did vote. they voted for the one thing the president said very clearly, which is that tax rates would go up on the wealthiest. it's an incredibly popular position. it's important for republicans to know that the white house is not going to accept any kind of a deal. that's the point he was trying to make. i think all the leverage now is with the democrats, with the president. the american public is on his side. i think it's important for the republicans not to think that they can just get any kind of deal out of him because if they do go over
joining me now is van jones, cnn contributor and former obama administration official. good morning. >> god morning to you. >> so, van, i guess my first question that's eatsy for geithner to say, we're perfectly willing to go off the fiscal cliff. that means a tax hike on middle class americans and maybe some of them are thinking this morning i'm not really so happy geithner said that. >> it might have been inartful for him to say it the way he said it. i think he is making a...
193
193
Dec 4, 2012
12/12
by
CNNW
tv
eye 193
favorite 0
quote 0
administration much more bargaining leverage. >> well, the former treasury secretary has one thing to say but many other voices are a virtual kcacophony where wolf blitzer has to sit every day. >> in the short term the president has more leverage right now because if they do nothing, let's say they avoid any legislation between now and the end of the year, starting january 1st we go over that so-called fiscal cliff, tax rates go up not just for the rich but for the middle class, for everyone, all those cuts in domestic spending and naths security spending, they go into effect. people aren't going to be happy about that, and the president will be able to say, look, i begged them, i repeatedly said 98% of the american public, they wouldn't get a tax increase if we just took them out of the equation, let's pass legislation extending the bush tax cuts for everyone earning under $250,000 a year. they didn't do it. so, you know, he'll have some leverage on that in terms of the politics because politically, you know, the polls all are very consistent. the election results are pretty consiste
administration much more bargaining leverage. >> well, the former treasury secretary has one thing to say but many other voices are a virtual kcacophony where wolf blitzer has to sit every day. >> in the short term the president has more leverage right now because if they do nothing, let's say they avoid any legislation between now and the end of the year, starting january 1st we go over that so-called fiscal cliff, tax rates go up not just for the rich but for the middle class, for...
301
301
Dec 7, 2012
12/12
by
CNNW
tv
eye 301
favorite 0
quote 0
economy and the obama administration, the nation's jobless rate fell to 7.7% in november as employers added 146,000 new jobs. the jobless rate hasn't been this low during the entire obama administration, but that's only part of the story. a closer look also shows a big reason behind today's drop in the unemployment rate is that 350,000 people dropped out of the work force in november. they're discouraged, many of them are, that they simply quit and they're trying to find work. christine romans joins us from new york. we saw the unexpected drop in the unemployment rate, but christine, take us a little behind the numbers that make up the headlines. >> 7.7% is that unemployment rate, the lowest since december, 2008, from before the president took office. 146,000 jobs created, twice what economists have been expecting. they really didn't see the pull back because of hiring being depressed because of hurricane sandy. maybe you'll see some of that in the next month, but this was a strong report on its surface. digging in the numbers. look at the right side on that graphic, 14.4% underemploy
economy and the obama administration, the nation's jobless rate fell to 7.7% in november as employers added 146,000 new jobs. the jobless rate hasn't been this low during the entire obama administration, but that's only part of the story. a closer look also shows a big reason behind today's drop in the unemployment rate is that 350,000 people dropped out of the work force in november. they're discouraged, many of them are, that they simply quit and they're trying to find work. christine romans...
328
328
Dec 7, 2012
12/12
by
CNNW
tv
eye 328
favorite 0
quote 0
the obama administration says, agrees that law is unconstitutional. that law is now being defended by a lawyer hired by the republicans in the house of representatives. so that -- that is one case. the other case is the proposition 8 case in california. if you recall, california -- there was a referendum -- the california supreme court ruled that there had to be same sex marriage under the california constitution. gay people had the right to get married there for a brief period of time. then there was an initiative put on the ballot, proposition 8, california voted in a close election to overturn same sex marriage. same sex marriage was banned after it was briefly legal. the federal district court had a trial there, and said that law, proposition 8, banning same sex marriage, is unconstitutional. that was affirmed on appeal, that is now appealed to the supreme court and they will now decide whether proposition 8 is constitutional or not. >> when we talk about this as being a historical sort of review, clearly there were different laws passed at the st
the obama administration says, agrees that law is unconstitutional. that law is now being defended by a lawyer hired by the republicans in the house of representatives. so that -- that is one case. the other case is the proposition 8 case in california. if you recall, california -- there was a referendum -- the california supreme court ruled that there had to be same sex marriage under the california constitution. gay people had the right to get married there for a brief period of time. then...
232
232
Dec 6, 2012
12/12
by
CNNW
tv
eye 232
favorite 0
quote 0
about four years ago when the first obama administration came in, eric holder signalled that they were not going to prosecute, go after medical marijuana in states that had approved it. since that time, a huge medical marijuana industry has popped up here. we have about 500 medical marijuana stores here and over 100,000 people on the medical marijuana registry. even though it's still against federal law, medical or not, so the advocates here are hoping that at the minimum they'll get that kind of wink and a nod sort of for the federal government. it still doesn't really settle anything, but that's their sort of early stage hope. they're realistic and know that this could well end up in court, and as you heard in the piece, they are ready to fight for what they call the will of colorado voters. >> so in the meantime here, if you're one of these people who is smoking in colorado or you want to smoke in colorado, could you get arrested, or it's just considered legal and it's okay? >> well, you're not going to get arrested in the short-term because it would really take, i guess, federal au
about four years ago when the first obama administration came in, eric holder signalled that they were not going to prosecute, go after medical marijuana in states that had approved it. since that time, a huge medical marijuana industry has popped up here. we have about 500 medical marijuana stores here and over 100,000 people on the medical marijuana registry. even though it's still against federal law, medical or not, so the advocates here are hoping that at the minimum they'll get that kind...
213
213
Dec 5, 2012
12/12
by
CNNW
tv
eye 213
favorite 0
quote 0
we're hering so far a measured response from the obama administration. >> secretary hillary clinton says it calls for ugt talks between president morsi. >> we have expressed that repeatedly over the last weeks. because almost two years ago, the egyptian people took to the streets because they wanted real democratic change. and they, therefore, not the americans, or anyone else, deserve a constitution that protects the rights of all egyptians. >> future could depend on how the situation plays out and if president morsi chooses democracy or dictatorship. >> i spoke about that with a guest. >> you met with high officials at the state department, the u.s. still provides egypt with economic and military assistance, about $1.3 million a year. hundreds of millions in economic aide, did they race that issue with you? there was concern that if president morsi continues to move in that direction, the u.s. assistance could be in trouble. >> i think it's important for the united states than it is for egypt. it's mutual interest and mutual benefit. and the relationship is depending on the relationshi
we're hering so far a measured response from the obama administration. >> secretary hillary clinton says it calls for ugt talks between president morsi. >> we have expressed that repeatedly over the last weeks. because almost two years ago, the egyptian people took to the streets because they wanted real democratic change. and they, therefore, not the americans, or anyone else, deserve a constitution that protects the rights of all egyptians. >> future could depend on how the...
195
195
Dec 10, 2012
12/12
by
CNNW
tv
eye 195
favorite 0
quote 0
note to the obama administration, it is not happening in a bubble. last year you'll recall the obama administration put off a decision on the excel pipeline, an extension of a pipeline that would connect the oil in alberta to the gulf of mexico and international markets. the democrats killed it because of concerns from environmentalists. the proposed route crossed the aquifer in nebraska and white house and state department officials could have just insisted on rerouting the pipe, but they didn't. a bad move, one that was highly thought to play to the president's base. now that the elections are over, a review of a new route will begin sometime next year. the leakages of that pipe were a minor concern, though it got all the headlines. a more legitimate environmental concern is carbon emissions. processing crude that is mined from the oil sands emits double the emissions of regular drilled oil. but oil sands still -- that still scarce, oil is still scarce, the chinese lead lots of it, and the canadians have lots of it. president obama campaigned on se
note to the obama administration, it is not happening in a bubble. last year you'll recall the obama administration put off a decision on the excel pipeline, an extension of a pipeline that would connect the oil in alberta to the gulf of mexico and international markets. the democrats killed it because of concerns from environmentalists. the proposed route crossed the aquifer in nebraska and white house and state department officials could have just insisted on rerouting the pipe, but they...
1,738
1.7K
Dec 8, 2012
12/12
by
CNNW
tv
eye 1,738
favorite 0
quote 1
. >> so is this a question that we should be asking the obama administration about syria? >> well, you remember, randi, that president clinton was really angry with me when i was asking that question from sarajevo. the fact of the matter is the question didn't prompt intervention but there was intervention more than a year later and it stopped the war and the president enacted a peace settlement and the war stopped and peace still endures in bosnia. i think the issue of syria raises some very important questions. president clinton himself just earlier this year said that the longer it goes without being stopped, the bigger the chance of bad actors getting involved. that is precisely what's happened, randi. that is one more reason that the administration is reluctant to intervene, because now it's not just the ordinary rebellion that it started out as with people demanding reform. it is now being joined by all sorts of jihadists and extremists. al qaeda type affiliates. and all sorts of other types. and this is what's really worrying the united states and the region. but th
. >> so is this a question that we should be asking the obama administration about syria? >> well, you remember, randi, that president clinton was really angry with me when i was asking that question from sarajevo. the fact of the matter is the question didn't prompt intervention but there was intervention more than a year later and it stopped the war and the president enacted a peace settlement and the war stopped and peace still endures in bosnia. i think the issue of syria raises...
294
294
Dec 4, 2012
12/12
by
CNNW
tv
eye 294
favorite 0
quote 0
this issue is an issue for later in 2013 or maybe even in the second year of an obama administration, because the prospects of making it work now, michael, are slim to none. >> and so it goes on when it comes to israeli palestinian conflict. thanks so much. good to get your thoughts. aaron david miller from the woodrow wilson international center. good to chat with you. >>> the u.s. has fought a hard battle against terrorism over the years and its primary opponent has been recently al qaeda. now we are learning more about the activities of one of its affiliates, a dangerous one in yemen. we'll have a live report. do stay with us. you won't take my life. you won't take our future. aids affects us all. even babies. chevron is working to stop mother-to-child transmission. our employees and their families are part of the fight. and we're winning. at chevron nigeria, we haven't had a reported case in 12 years. aids is strong. aids is strong. but we are stronger. and aids... ♪ aids is going to lose. aids is going to lose. ♪ aids is going to lose. well that was uncalled for.se. folks who
this issue is an issue for later in 2013 or maybe even in the second year of an obama administration, because the prospects of making it work now, michael, are slim to none. >> and so it goes on when it comes to israeli palestinian conflict. thanks so much. good to get your thoughts. aaron david miller from the woodrow wilson international center. good to chat with you. >>> the u.s. has fought a hard battle against terrorism over the years and its primary opponent has been...
613
613
Dec 3, 2012
12/12
by
CNNW
tv
eye 613
favorite 0
quote 0
the obama proposal is raise that rate to 39.6% where it was during the clinton administration. what else is in this new gop proposal? >> reporter: let's show you some of the savings when it comes to government spending. first of all, they put about $600 billion in what the republicans are calling health savings. we understand -- we don't have details. we understand much of that comes from medicare, things that we've heard from republicans over and over like raising the eligibility age, means testing, things like that. so then we have about $600 billion in essentially spending cuts, half from mandatory spending, half from discretionary spending. this is the other very interesting thing that's new. $200 billion from revising the consumer price index. that sounds very technical. but it has very real world consequences because it very much could affect the money, the checks that social security recipients in particular get every single month because it effectively changes inflation so it changes the formula from what they would get. >> significant differences between the white hous
the obama proposal is raise that rate to 39.6% where it was during the clinton administration. what else is in this new gop proposal? >> reporter: let's show you some of the savings when it comes to government spending. first of all, they put about $600 billion in what the republicans are calling health savings. we understand -- we don't have details. we understand much of that comes from medicare, things that we've heard from republicans over and over like raising the eligibility age,...
323
323
Dec 10, 2012
12/12
by
CNNW
tv
eye 323
favorite 0
quote 0
the group declared a terrorist organization by the obama administration. >> reporter: they're incredibly secretive. it's very difficult to actually get access to their leadership. we have been trying that. when you speak with the other fighting units, they have enormous respect for the al nusri front's capabilities because their fighters are deemed to be the most professional, the most dedicated. they're often on the deadliest and most dangerous front lines. even amongst ordinary activists who most certainly do not support al nusri's ideology, that same level of respect is echoed with people believing that, were it not for the presence of the al nusri front, they perhaps would not have been able to see the success they've seen so far in the battle for aleppo. these are the dynamic, that the country's going to have to deal with moving forward. it is important to point out, though, when it comes to the u.s. designating the al nusri front as a terrorist organization, that is not going to change the battlefield dynamicings in syria. the opposition activist, the free syrian army, do not feel
the group declared a terrorist organization by the obama administration. >> reporter: they're incredibly secretive. it's very difficult to actually get access to their leadership. we have been trying that. when you speak with the other fighting units, they have enormous respect for the al nusri front's capabilities because their fighters are deemed to be the most professional, the most dedicated. they're often on the deadliest and most dangerous front lines. even amongst ordinary...
145
145
Dec 10, 2012
12/12
by
CNNW
tv
eye 145
favorite 0
quote 0
they skwed if people thought president obama would pick good cabinet members. 58% said they thought he would, 42% said he would not. emily schmidt, cnn, washington. >>> one cabinet member on the president teems of advisers since the very beginning, epa administrator lisa jack sorn had a chance to talk with her one on one friday night after an event that i moderated by the environmental group captain planet foundation here in atlanta. we started off talking about the importance of the epa, the efforts by some republicans to actually get rid of the agency. >> if you ask the average american, are you for it, what does it mean to live in america, part of what they say is i have clean water and air to breathe. i have a right to go to my govlt p if i think there's contamination in my xunt and have it cleaned up. >> in a lot of folks you have folks like newt gingrich who say the epa, get rid of it. these are job killers and regulators, and this is bad for business. how do you confront republicans like newt gingrich who still put that out there and says, look, i don't know the agency should ex
they skwed if people thought president obama would pick good cabinet members. 58% said they thought he would, 42% said he would not. emily schmidt, cnn, washington. >>> one cabinet member on the president teems of advisers since the very beginning, epa administrator lisa jack sorn had a chance to talk with her one on one friday night after an event that i moderated by the environmental group captain planet foundation here in atlanta. we started off talking about the importance of the...